How to do Valentine’s Day the Duke way

Valentine’s day, being essentially purely a “Hallmark Holiday,” holds some important ideals. On V-Day, you must hold those close to you closer and pull others in. It’s a day of appreciating who you have, and taking risks for them and with them to show them how much you care.

Whether you’re single or not this Sunday, here are some tips on how to have a killer Valentine’s day the Duke way.

Saturday at Midnight

If we’re going to be realistic, technically Valentine’s day starts at midnight on Saturday. And we all know that at Duke, midnight on Saturday is Shooters time.

This Saturday night will be characterized by girls hungry for a bed to wake up in, and guys who are looking to take someone home – hormones will be raging and so will the dance floor, so here are my pieces of advice to you.

First of all, I want to note that I am not a bitter, anti-hookup, anti-Shooters person. You do you. And I can be found out on Wednesday nights occasionally (sorry, Mom). But as much as I appreciate all of the randos at Shooters staring at me all night like I’m a piece of meat, this Saturday is a good time to cut that off.

Don’t settle for a Shooter’s hookup 

If you feel lonely or wish you were with someone or had someone to dial up for cuddle-sessions and TV watching, please don’t satiate your need for affection on the Shooters dance floor on Valentine’s day. No matter how “good” last night was (or good you think you remember last night was) a Shooters hookup is not love.

Neither your peers nor the girlfriends you went with are going to want to see you making out with “that guy from your Calc class you said was creepy yesterday” or “the baseball player that’s your roommates’ best friend.”

Focus on the people you love and who love you

Don’t ditch your squad. For anything, but especially not Shooters. On Valentine’s Day. That’s low. And they’d worry. Don’t worry them.

Don’t get too drunk

No doubt Valentine’s day at Shooters will be packed. So you don’t have to be “drunk enough” for Shooters. If you drink, just get a buzz, because I promise Shooters Saturday night won’t be something you want to forget.

Don’t be afraid to have a lowkey evening 

When you get home, don’t be afraid to hang out for a while and talk to your friends. Chat about life and love and everything in between. Appreciation. That’s where it’s at.

Sunday, February 14th

Wake up before noon 

Wake up in the morning, and try not to pull a noon wake up call. If you’re doing it the Duke way you’ll roll out of bed on Valentines, go wipe off those Shooters X’s on your hands, and head to the Nasher or the WA for Brunch. Don’t be afraid to mingle and to splurge a little.

Treat yo’self 

Or, if it’s nice, pick up a pizza from enzo’s and hit up the Duke garden with a blanket and a boom box

Indulge in some basketball 

If you’re a basketball fan, opportunity awaits for you to cheer on your Blue Devils: the girls b-ball team is balling out at Wake Forest, only about an hour away, on Sunday at 2:00pm.

What a better way to spend Valentine’s than a road trip with your friends and a day watching a Blue Devil victory?

(From left to right) Julia Beck, Pinelopi Margeti, and me holding down the fort at Cameron

Check out a movie 

If you are not a basketball fan (hopefully this is not the case and you’re just too lazy for a road trip), the place to be on Valentine’s day with your girlfriends is at the movie theater watching the new comedy featuring Rebel Wilson, “How To Be Single.”

Could not see a better way to spend Valentine’s day than to learn from the queen how to live it up while you’re not tied down.

Brunch at Parker and Otis, another Durham favorite, with (from left to right) Nadia Ford, me, Susan Hynes, Max Davis, Neha Bhambhani and Nadia’s mother.

Head to a Dance Cardio class and split a Quenchers 

So it’s 5pm and you’re dead tired but be honest with yourself, you’re not going to start work right now. You have at least four more hours before you’ll sit at the Perk, coffee in hand. Lucky for you, the options don’t stop there!

Roll up to Wilson and go to the 5pm Dance Cardio Workout class and split a Quenchers with a loved one. Or don’t split, you know that you would happily drink an entire smoothie.

Take a walk to check out the sunset 

Around this time it will be sunset in Durham, and it would be amazing to take a walk (or an Uber) down to Tobacco Road and watch the sunset. Would highly recommend trespassing on top of a building to see it better, but that would be illegal so you didn’t hear it from me.

Wallace Wade for the Boston College game in which all Duke fans in attendance witnessed this miraculous sunset and rainbow double-whammy.

Get some jams going 

It’s nighttime and there’s no better way to sum up Valentine’s day than a fire pit and a guitar or a boombox. Hang out, play some jams, and close up the night in this beautiful 20-degree North Carolina weather.

Someone who always brightens my day, and someone for whom I am very thankful for, Haley Gorecki. <3

Happy Valentine’s Day y’all!

xxEm